Project Title: 2023 Chiayi County Open Burning and Odor Control Project for Livestock Farming and Restaurant Cooking Fumes
Implementation Period: January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023
Project Budget: NT$9,500,000
Project Principal Investigator: Lin Hongbin
Project Team: Project Manager Hsu Wenbang, Project Engineers Chen Keyu, Chen Yingjun, Hsu Hengyu, Tsai Chengyi, Huang Weicheng, and Project Assistant Engineer Liu Meiling, totaling 7 personnel.
The project, titled "2023 Chiayi County Open Burning and Odor Control Project for Livestock Farming and Restaurant Cooking Fumes," aims to provide technical expertise and manpower for the effective implementation of inspection, control, and educational outreach related to open burning, odor control in livestock farms, and restaurant cooking fumes. The following summary outlines the progress and achievements during the execution period from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023:
1. Open Burning Site Inspection Operations
(1). Between January 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023, a total of 818 open burning cases were handled. This includes 113 cases reviewed in response to petitions by the Inspection Team, 157 cases addressed following notifications received from the Inspection Team, 375 cases from proactive inspections, and 173 cases assigned for investigation. Detailed information is available in Section 3.1.1.
(2). Of the 818 cases, 533 cases involved the detection of open burning activities. Puzi City had the highest number with 105 cases (20%), followed by Minxiong Township with 103 cases (19%), and Shuishang Township with 76 cases (14%). Geospatial information has been integrated into the Geographic Information System (GIS). Details can be found in Section 3.1.2.
(3). Analyzing the types of burning materials, "Plant_Other" was the most common, accounting for 269 cases, with open burning of vacant land weeds comprising the highest percentage at 46%. "Branches/Leaves" accounted for 157 cases (29%), and a total of 31 cases (6%) involved the burning of solid waste, urban garbage, and similar materials. When cross-referencing burning materials with townships, Puzi City had the highest number of "Plant_Other" burns at 57, and Minxiong Township had the highest for "Branches/Leaves" at 43. "Waste" burning was most prevalent in Minxiong Township with 11 cases. Refer to Section 3.1.2 for further details.
(4). On May 18, 2023, 20 cases were preemptively warned for the first phase of rice harvesting, and on September 22, 2023, 25 cases were preemptively warned for the second phase of rice harvesting. Refer to Section 3.1.4 for more information.
(5). On January 13, 2023, the monitoring equipment at the Lucao Incineration Plant (east side) was upgraded to a visual smoke detection (AI) and active reporting system. Additionally, the second set of visual smoke detection (AI) and active reporting systems were installed at Wu Feng University on June 13, 2023. Up to December 31, 2023, a total of 199 alerts were reported. Details can be found in Section 3.3.2.
(6). In terms of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) drone patrols, a total of 19 missions were conducted up to December 31, 2023, covering Xingang Township, Minxiong Township, and Puzi City. During these patrols, one open burning case was detected. Refer to Section 3.3.3 for more information.
2. Agricultural Waste Flow Investigation Operation
In the first phase of the rice cultivation survey, conducted from June 28 to August 11, 2023, a total of 30,250 paddy fields (covering 13,605.07 hectares) were surveyed, representing approximately 79.7% of the county's first-phase rice cultivation area. The majority of agricultural land could accommodate plowing and burial for decomposition measures (99.88%), with 17 cases (6.33 hectares) of land showing signs of burning (0.05%). The second phase of rice cultivation, conducted from October 25 to November 30, 2023, involved the survey of 15,721 paddy fields (covering 4,535.07 hectares), representing approximately 69% of the county's second-phase rice cultivation area. Similar to the first phase, most agricultural land could accommodate plowing and burial for decomposition measures (99.85%), with 9 cases (1.99 hectares) of land showing signs of burning (0.07%). Refer to Section 3.2.1 for detailed information.
3. Livestock Farm Odor Inspection and Control Operation
(1). Up to December 31, 2023, a total of 507 site inspections were conducted at 183 livestock farms in hot zones. Among these, 37 joint inspections were carried out in collaboration with the Agriculture Development Department, Water Pollution Prevention Section, Waste Management Section, and Inspection Team. Refer to Section 5.2.1 for more details.
4. Restaurant Cooking Fumes Control and Guidance Operation
(1). Up to December 31, 2023, a total of 343 inspections and outreach activities were conducted in the catering industry. Refer to Section 4.2.1 for more details.
(2). According to the latest announcement from the Ministry of Finance (Year 110), there are approximately 2,226 catering businesses in Chiayi County. From the year 107 to December 31, 2023, the project has identified the installation status of oil fume prevention equipment in 1,170 catering businesses in the county. Preliminary estimates indicate annual emissions reductions of PM10: 44.51 tons, PM2.5: 38.37 tons, and NMHC: 171.11 tons. Refer to Section 4.2.1 for more details.
(3). Up to December 31, 2023, 25 catering businesses have completed improvements to reduce oil fume pollution. This includes the addition of 14 electrostatic precipitators, 5 wet scrubbers, 11 baffle filters, and 1 filter-type oil fume treatment machine, resulting in annual pollution reduction amounts of PM10: 0.835 tons, PM2.5: 0.574 tons, and NMHC: 0.865 tons. Refer to Section 4.3 for more details.
5. Counseling and Diversified Outreach Operation
(1). Up to December 31, 2023, a total of 5 prevention workshops have been conducted. For detailed information, please refer to Section 3.5.8 and Section 5.3.2.
(2). Up to December 31, 2023, 15 expert and scholar counseling sessions for the catering industry have been conducted. Refer to Section 4.3 for more details.
(3). Up to December 31, 2023, four internal staff education and training sessions have been conducted to enhance the professionalism and performance of project personnel. Refer to Section 6.1 for more details.
(4). Up to December 31, 2023, three campus "Harmful Effects of Open Burning on the Environment" seminars have been conducted. Refer to Section 3.5.5 for more details.
(5). Up to December 31, 2023, six joint seminars on "Reuse of Straw, Avoid Open Burning" have been organized in collaboration with the agricultural authorities. Refer to Section 3.5.6 for more details.
(6). Up to December 31, 2023, one "Livestock Odor Control Seminar" and two "Restaurant Cooking Fume Control Seminars" have been conducted. Refer to Sections 5.4.2 and 4.5 for more details.
(7). The project has completed the construction of three sites (totaling 1500 square meters), intending to serve as a model for promoting the reuse of straw and the installation of straw mats at construction sites in the county. This aims to encourage community participation in agricultural waste (straw) reduction, enhancing the effectiveness of waste reduction. Refer to Section 3.4.1 for more details.
(8). Cable television ticker and local radio broadcasts were used for promotion. The first phase aired from June 24 to June 30, 2023, and the second phase aired from October 25 to October 31, 2023. CF promotion cards were broadcasted on "SHIH SIN" and "TA YANG" cable TV stations, while radio broadcasts featuring the county mayor were aired on "CSBC," "Yeue-Chia Broadcasting," "Sister Radio," and " UFO Radio " for a total of 14 days. Refer to Sections 3.5.1 and 3.5.2 for more details.
(9). A mobile broadcasting vehicle operated from July 3 to September 1, 2023, during the first phase of rice cultivation, and from September 28 to November 30, 2023, during the second phase. Refer to Section 3.5.4 for more details.
(10). Flags advocating against open burning and promotional materials for the project were produced in May 2023, consisting of 500 flags and 1150 informational brochures. Refer to Sections 3.5.3 and 5.4.1 for more details.
6. Other Cooperation with Related Businesses
(1). On March 18, 2023, the project collaborated with the "2023 Chiayi County Water Environment River Patrol Teams Volunteer Basic and Special Training" meeting to conduct outreach activities. Refer to Section 6.3 for more details.
(2). On April 24, 2023, the project collaborated with the "2023 Mazu Pilgrimage, Taiwan Clean" event to conduct booth outreach activities. Refer to Section 6.3 for more details.
(3). On October 14, 2023, the project collaborated with the "2023 World Water Monitoring Day" event to conduct booth outreach activities. Refer to Section 6.3 for more details.
(4). In collaboration with environmental volunteers and universities, the project helped establish an open burning patrol team. As of December 31, 2023, 70 patrol members have joined, receiving a total of 117 reports, with a detection rate of 98%. Refer to Section 3.1.3 for more details.
(5). Ministry of Environment fire monitoring reports indicate that as of December 31, 2023, the project has received 53 notifications through the fire information platform. Refer to Section 3.3.4 for more details.
(6). In collaboration with the Ministry of Environment's Atmospheric Environment Division and Central University, the project assisted in verifying the satellite fire detection system (Himawari-8). As of December 31, 2023, the project has received 17 notifications. Refer to Section 3.3.4 for more details.